Frankie was making dinner when she heard the front door open and close, the sound of shoes being kicked off and a long drawn out sigh reaching her ears. He had had a rough day, how rough she wasn't sure but she was about to find out.
"In here." She called out as she stirred the pasta.
She heard his heavy footfalls as he approached the kitchen, his tall broad body stopping just in the doorway as he surveyed her. She turned and looked at him, taking in his dark thunderous features, his tense body, and most important his fists clenched as he stood watching her. He'd had a hell of a day, and his mood reflected it. Turning the stove down Frankie moved towards him, taking his hand as she stopped in front of him.
"Come with me, and don't argue." Pushing him back a few steps so she could get past him and into the hallway.
Keeping a hold of his hand she led him into the living room, sitting down on the settee as she took hold of both his hands and tugged him gently towards her. Boyd went to sit down, then was suddenly curled into Frankie, kneeling on the floor with his head in her lap, his arms trying to worm their way around her body. Frankie was momentarily shocked, vulnerable Boyd was not something she was used to. Frankie reached for him as best as she could, her bump restricting her reach. The side of his head rested against her bump, her fingers stroking through his hair as she rubbed her hand back and forth over his broad shoulders. She didn't talk, didn't ask, just let him work through whatever he was going through. For him to be like this, with her, it must have been a really bad day involving either a child or more possible young boys.
Boyd held Frankie as tightly as he dared, their daughter moving against one side of his head as Frankie's fingers moved through his hair. He kept his eyes open, not wanting to see the images of Davey in that casket, of Luke as a boy, or even worse the last time he had saw him. He took long, slow steady breaths, turning his head just enough so he could run his nose across the thin strip of skin that had been revealed where Frankie's top had shifted due to her bump. He slowly relaxed, the feel of Frankie's fingers on his scalp soothing and grounding him. Boyd slowly untangled himself, kissing Frankie's bump before he sat up. Frankie's hand trailed across his back and down his arm as he moved, finally settling on his hand when he sat beside her. He leaned towards her, his head resting on her shoulder as she squeezed his hand.
"Nothing is going to burn is it?" Boyd avoiding the current situation with trivial things.
"No, I turned it all down." Reaching across for his free hand and placing it on their very active daughter.
Frankie knew how to drag him back from the edge, how to focus his mind on what mattered. She watched as his fingers moved her top enough so he could both see and feel the movements the baby was making. Kissing his temple she stroked the knuckles of his hand between them with her thumb.
"Thank you." His voice mere hushed.
Frankie didn't ask him what for, just let him brood over his thoughts for a few more minutes.
"Okay, I think I need to make tea now." Frankie breaking the silence between them.
Frankie shuffled forward and went to stand up, Boyd staying where he was seated. When she was stood up her hand automatically went to the small of her back, the pain that she thought was gone now back as a growing niggle.
As she went to walk away Boyd spoke.
"Is that still bothering you?" Frankie stopping and looking at Boyd.
His head was back against the settee but he had turned his head so he was looking at her.
"Comes and goes, don't suppose I'll be getting rid of it completely until she's born. Then again, that's debatable going on what I've read. Are you hunger?" Her fingers rubbing at the small of her back.
"I'm sure Jen had the same with Matt, she bought something that helps if I remember right. And yes, I'm hunger. Have you looked into getting something for it?" Boyd lifting his head and sitting forward.
"I'm seeing the midwife Thursday, I'll mention it then. Give me five minutes and I'll dish up tea." Frankie feeling Boyds eyes on her until she moved out of his eyesight.
Frankie shouted through once the tea was on the table, Boyd appearing seconds later. He still looked despondent, his shoulders slumped like his hands and arms weighed a tonne each. It was deafening silent as they ate, Frankie having no idea what to say since she had no clue what was wrong. She had never seen him so quiet, so lost in his own thoughts before. When he finished he sat just as quietly and waited for her to finish, clearing the table and washing the dishes before taking her hand and leading her through the house to her bedroom. He gathered all the pillows into a pile on the bed, making a nest of sorts for Frankie to lie on. Slowly undressing her he got her to lie down, no words spoken as he kissed nearly every inch of her skin. He worshipped her, had her whimpering his name as he worked his tongue, lips and fingers over her most intimate parts.
Half an hour later Frankie lay sleepy and sated on the bed, Boyd looking down at her, his face still so unreadable. Frankie shifted some of the pillows and patted the space beside her, watching Boyd slowly undress before joining her. As he crawled up the bed to lie beside her she turned to face him, his body moulding to her as she wraped her arms around him. He clung to her again, like he did downstairs when he came in and he put his head in her lap. Frankie considered herself a patient person, especially when it came to Boyd. But tonight, tonight he was pushing her buttons and she was too tired, and too pregnant to deal with his long drawn out issues.
"Boyd, what's wrong?" Finally snapping and asking him outright what was bothering him.
Boyd didn't answer, just tried to hide himself further away, bury his face inside Frankie's rather large cleavage. God, he was infuriating.
"I can't help if you don't tell me. What happened today? What case are you working on that's got you behaving even odder than you normally do?" Frankie slowly running out of patience as she yawned.
When he still didn't answer she flipped, she couldn't deal with this tonight, or any night at the moment.
"For fucks sake, Boyd! It's past midnight and I'm fucked, both literally and figuratively thanks to you. I'm eight months pregnant, I can't deal with these moods swings, Boyd. Either talk to me and tell me what's wrong, or," stopping as she had no idea what to say.
"Or what?" Boyd suddenly shooting up into a sitting position as he looked down at Frankie, his face still emotionless as she tried to figure him out.
"I don't fucking know, Boyd. I really don't fucking know." Frankie managing to sit herself up before climbing out of bed.
"Where the hell are you going?" Boyds snarled making Frankie stop dead in her tracks and whirl around to face him.
"I am going to the bathroom since your daughter is using my bladder as a football, then I'm going downstairs. You can stop up here and brood, or mope, or whatever the fuck it is your doing." Frankie said before she stormed out the bedroom completely naked.
Boyd just sat and watched her walk away, heard the bathroom door open and close and then silence. He flopped back on the bed, the pillows cocooning him as he closed his eyes. He was doing it again! Pushing people away, blocking them out, trying to deal with everything on his own. He had been down this road before, the slippery slope to separation, divorce, and loneliness. He would not put Frankie through that, or the baby. They deserved so much better than he was giving them at present, so much more than he could ever give them. He stood up and looked for his clothes, his solution to all his problem was walking away, like he always did.
After getting ready he made his way along the landing and passed Amelia's nursery. The door was open, streetlight shining into the small room. Boyd stopped and looked inside, the room empty as he expected it to be. As he turned to walk away he caught a distinct smell of perfume, a perfume he hadn't smelt in just over eight months, a smell he never expected to smell again after Mel died. Mel, everything came back to Mel. His shortcomings leading to her death, his and Frankie's late night, early morning transgressions, Frankie's pregnancy, it all came back to Mel. What would she think of him now? Of how he was treating her best friend, the mother of his child, the woman who he had admitting to loving, If only in his own head. She would dispies him, tear strips of him and be damned who seen or heard.
"Shit, Mel." Boyd leaving the nursery and heading downstairs to search for Frankie.
The kitchen was in darkness but there was light seeping out from under the living room door. Approaching the door he took a deep breath in, letting it out slowly through his nose. The door wasn't shut completely so he pushed it open and stepped into the room, his eyes adjusting the light quickly as he spotted Frankie sat on the settee with her feet up. He stood just looking at her for a minute, seeing her rubbing her hand over her bump. Approaching her slowly he stopped just short of the settee, seeing her turn her head to face him. She looked him up and down, took in the fact he was fully dressed then quickly looked away without saying a word. Boyd hadn't thought about how his appearance would affect her, considering she had been naked when she left for the bathroom and he just had his shorts on. Frankie was now wearing a fluffy dressing gown, which he noticed just about closed around her bump. She must have got it from the bathroom before coming downstairs.
"Frankie." He managed to say, his voice sounding raspy and dry.
Frankie slowly turned to look at him, a flash of hurt and anger crossing her features before she schooled her face to neutral.
"If you're going, just go." The hurt obviously in her words.
"I'm not going, but if you want me too I will." Moving around the coffee table to sit beside her.
"Do what you want, you do anyway." The hurt now replaced with a venom as she folded her arms across her chest.
"Christ, Frankie. You know how crap I am at this." Stopping as he rubbed his hand across his beard, the scratching sound of the bristles echoing loudly around the room.
"Crap at what exactly? Talking, relationships, being a responsible adult and doing the right thing, all of the above!" Frankie turning just enough so the dressing gown that was just about covering her slipped open, revealing part of her right breast and an expanse of her bump.
Boyd being both Male and fascinated in her body, let his eyes rake over the exposed skin, seeing her quickly trying to cover back up.
Boyd shuffled closer and took hold of her hands stopping her from fidgeting around.
"Frankie, don't let me screw this up, please." Leaning closer to her so he could kiss her hands.
"You won't talk to me, just sulk, become moody, quiet and withdrawn. How do I reach you, Pete? How do I stop you falling into the abyss?" How do I pull you back when you do?" Threading her fingers through his as she watched him consider her question.
"Push me, ask me questions, make me talk. I have no idea, Frankie. I've never wanted something to work so much as I do now. I don't want to give up Frankie, I don't want you to give up on me." Boyd shifting as close to Frankie as he could.
"Come here you big softy." Lifting her arm up as she saw and heard how deeply he meant what he had said.
Boyd snuggled up beside Frankie, her arms going around him as he rested his head on her shoulder.
"Now, tell me what the hell is going on or I swear Boyd, you will be out on your ear and I'll go see Grace and Spencer in the morning." Looking sideways at Boyd as she pushed him for answers.
Boyd licked his lips before he slowly started to explain about the new case.
"How do not report you son missing for sixteen years? Why don't you report it?" The anguish and pain in his words cutting deep into Frankie.
"I know. You have done everything you can, this boy isn't Luke." Stroking her fingers over his arm across the top of her bump. "Let's go to bed, we can talk more when my brain is up to logical thinking." Turning her head just enough to kiss his head.
"Awww, shit, I'm sorry. I've kept you up and you need your sleep. Come on." Releasing Frankie from his grasp and standing up.
He held out his hand to Frankie and she took it, standing up and leaning into his solid, warm body. Neither bothered to switch the lamp off as they walked through the house and back into the bedroom. Frankie undid the dressing gown and threw it on the dresser, climbing into bed completely naked. Boyd removed his clothes again and lifted the covers, sliding as close to Frankie as he could get. Frankie did try to cuddle into him but their daughter had other ideas as she wriggled between them. Boyd placed his hand on Frankie's side, his fingertips making soothing circles as she fell asleep. He knew he had to change his ways, or this, what he had in his arms would disappear, just like it had down with Mary, and then again with Jenny. He would not let that happen again. He would not lose another partner, another lover, another child, because he was to pig-headed and selfish to change.